What is the documentary about?

Berlin Transgression tells the stories of transvestite, transgender and transsexual artists who struggle between two genders, two identities, two lives. This project sheds light on the day and night life of the artists who perform mostly at local gay bars and fetish clubs. These artists allow us not only backstage but also into their homes where they open their hearts to us about their deepest dreams and desires.
We follow their fight to tear down a new, invisible, wall which is the basis of our isolation.

Why does this story need to be told?

We believe that after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 there has not been a comprehensive and honest portrait of this group of struggling queer artists in Berlin. By hearing the stories told by these artists we gain a valuable insight into the LGBTQ community not only of Berlin but all over the world.
25 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, 2014 when our filming starts, Berlin is a haven for striving young artists and also a symbolic place for the freedom of action.

Berlin’s nightlife is famous for being mind-blowing, diverse, and shockingly open, as if without boundary. Berlin Transgression documents this, but also questions if this image of an un-walled, un-divided and undiscriminating sanctuary is the reality for our cast.

We aim to bring a better understanding of the LGBTQ community from both inside and outside. Berlin Transgression hopes to contribute to breaking down barriers between the queer community and the “outside world.” One of our goals is to increase the overall visibility of the queer community. To serve this end, we included different voices of the community: drag queens, drag kings, "tunten," as well as transsexual and transgender artists currently active in Berlin.
We learn about what it means to be in a community, and what work there is still to do. We learn about a new Berlin wall, one that is becoming the basis of our isolation and individuality.

How will my support make a difference?

Since November 2014, the whole crew have been working on a voluntary basis. Thanks to the kind support of Camelot and our production company, BIGCOUNTRY.BERLIN, we managed to finish the production process with a very low budget. In this process more than 100 hours of footage has been captured. We will need your support to help us turn all this footage into a 90min long documentary which can help us bring our message to the world: "Let's tear down the wall between us."

With your support, our post-production crew will be able to work intensely in March and April. If everything goes smoothly, the film will be completed by August 2016!!!

Be a part of this amazing journey, and make Berlin Transgression happen!

Where will my money go?

Editing
:
3000,00
EUR

Color
grading:
750,00
EUR

Sound
editing
1000,00
EUR

Music 1500,00
EUR

Translation and Subtitle:
750,00
EUR

Submission
for
film
festivals:
500,00
EUR

Website:
500,00
EUR

The
cost
for
production
and
delivery
of
rewards:
1000,00
EUR

Kickstarter
fee
(5%) Paypal
(3­‐5%)

*The part of raised fund that goes beyond the total pledged amount (10,000 EUR) will be used to pay the camera, directorial and production work that has been done thus far on a voluntary basis.

Will I get anything in return?

Of course! As well as the lovely warm feeling you get from doing a good deed, we also offer rewards to our supporters. Check out the side-bar for more information.

For +25 EUR, you'll get to choose one of BerlinTransgression's film-noir inspired postcards (shown down below)!

For +50 EUR, you'll get to choose two, +75 EUR, three!

photographed and designed by Reelika Ramot

For +100 EUR, you'll receive all four postcards plus Berlin Transgression's official poster (shown down below)!

Will the artists benefit from the documentary?

Yes! All of the artists in the film support themselves through part-time work when they are not performing. We hope that the exposure they receive through the film will enhance their careers allowing them to focus entirely on their performance.

Who is in the film?

Most of our characters have a daytime job, or work as DJs, waiters, and bartenders at night, if they are not booked for performances.

Kaey works at a Berlin-based queer magazine, Siegessäule. She also has a band, Strawberry KaeyK.

Absinthia Absolut is a part-time hairdresser.

Erna Pachulke is a bartender at one of the two "community bars", Lieblingsbar. There she has a weekly drag show, "Erna's Mitternachts-Show" (Midnight's Show).

Bambi Mercury is a stylist for an online fashion site; Ryan Stecken works in the advertisement department of Siegessäule Magazine.

Anna Bolika, having received his education in theater and dancing, is now a professional dubbing artist.

Esra Valkyrie is currently applying for college.

Jacky-Oh Weinhaus works as a lighting director at Schwuz (Berlin's largest gay club) by day and as a host in drag by night.

The bars where they perform are not one of those extravagantly designed theaters or music halls that middle-classed families frequent. They are small local gay bars, whose regular customers also have a 9-to-5 job. In the film, we follow our characters to their workplace, where they go every day to survive, as well as to the local gay bars, where, after a nine-hour working day, they live.

More about us

Directors

Joel Lei

She was an exchange-researcher at Freie Universität between 2014-2015, and currently an exchange-scholar at the University of Tokyo . She is an experienced journalist, working at the moment to start her own international political magazine and podcast, Blynkt. Berlin Transgression is her directorial debut. She’s a founder of the Tokyo International Film Society.

Yuki Terada

After graduating from School of Oriental and African Studies, the University of London in 2010, she started her PhD at the University of Tokyo. She was a visiting researcher at Freie Universität Berlin (2014-2015). She previously worked as an intern and translator in several prestigious media organizations. Berlin Transgression is her directorial debut. Her research interests include the relationship between art and society, visual culture, and theatrical representation.

Producer

Moritz Wessendorff

He is a producer with more than 10 years of experience in film. He received his B.A. degree in media economics, with a thesis on film financing. He has produced more than 300 films in various fields from feature to commercial. He worked with Hal Hartley on his film, Fay Grim, and later as a manager for his company, Possible Films. He also worked alongside famous producers such as, Arthur Cohn, and Martin Hagemann, who won the Silver Bear at the Berlinale in 2013. In 2013, he founded his own creative production company, BIGCOUNTRY.BERLIN.

He studied cinematography at the HFF "Konrad Wolf" in Potsdam Babelsberg where he shot numerous films, some of which received international attention at film festivals. His diploma feature-length film, Barriere (directed by Andreas Kleinert), celebrated its premiere at the Berlinale in 2010. In 2013, he successfully completed his graduate studies with the feature film, Nachthelle (directed by Florian Gottschick), which is nominated for the German Grimme-Award in 2016. He has experience in making films in Germany, France, Italy, Ukraine and China. In addition to advertisement, commercial films and music productions, he works regularly for international documentaries and feature films.

Production Designer / Photographer

Reelika Ramot

She is a freelancing photographer based in Berlin. She has extensive experience in stage photo shoots and set design. She has one year of experience in film as a set designer and art director. She graduated from Kaskeline Film Academy, Berlin, in 2015.

Editors

Sven Dittgen

He is an editor and video designer in Videofarmers, Berlin. He is a certified trainer of Apple Final Cut PRO Level 1. He has obtained his diploma in video and sound design from L4 – Institüt for Digital Communication, and completed the post-degree study in the School of Design Thinking. He is also an experienced lecturer.

Julia Peyron

Julia is an editor, production assistant and photographer. She currently works as an editor in Videofarmers, Berlin. After her graduation from the University of Nantes in 2010, she worked in a several theater companies and theater schools in France.

We are mentioned by various media

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Risks and challenges

The risks of this project are low. We do not foresee copyright, editorial, technical difficulties as we have assembled a professional team with experienced producers. The music with copyright problems used by the drag queens will be substituted by the work of the independent Berlin-based musician, Yasmin Gate (http://www.killerrr.com/killerrrecords/yasmin-gate-dollhouse-album/). Some of the artists we feature in our documentary, such as Erna Pachulke and Kaey, write their own songs, for which we are granted the right to use in the film.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge €200 or more
About US$ 227

Film’s Official Poster A3 + Your name in the closing credits + Access to limited online streaming + Invitation to a private party with the queens and the crew (the party will be in the Summer of 2016 in Berlin, flight tickets and accommodation not included in the reward)

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge €500 or more
About US$ 567

You’re Associate Producer! +You will receive an Associate Producer Credit during the film’s main title sequence and on IMDB (without any grants of copyrights) + Film’s Official Poster A2 + Access to limited online streaming + Invitation to a private party with the queens and the crew (Summer 2016 in Berlin) + Ticket 1x to the world premiere of the film (estimated delivery date: 2017)
Ps : Flight tickets and accommodation not included in any reward

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge €1,000 or more
About US$ 1,134

You’re Executive Producer! You will receive an Executive Producer Credit during the film’s main title sequence and on IMDB (without any grants of copyrights) + Film’s Official Poster A2 + Access to limited online streaming + Invitation to a private party with the queens and the crew ( Summer 2016 in Berlin) + Ticket 2x to the world premiere of the film (estimated delivery date: 2017) + Coffee with the directors (limited to New York and Tokyo) or coffee/makeover/party in Berlin/going to the cinema (any one of these activities, it is up to your choice) with a Berlin based drag queen (limited to Berlin)
Ps : Flight tickets and accommodation not included in any reward